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Vail Wedding Photographers

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Vail Wedding Photographers

Our Vail photographers also provide documentary-style coverage in: Beaver Creek

Vail Wedding Photography, Engagement Photo Sessions + Elopements

LOVE WON'T WAIT! - Couples are quickly moving forward with smaller weddings. Our Vail photographers are ready to accommodate.

By planning a simple Vail elopement, couples are able to stay present in the moment and fully absorb the impact of their wedding day. Given the fact that many couples feel more natural and at ease in intimate settings, it's no surprise that some of the most breathtaking wedding images come from elopements.

The WPJA has an abundance of top-ranked, Vail documentary wedding photographers available right now who understand that some weddings and elopements can’t wait. Find yours today!
Recent WPJA WedElope Story Awards
A happy bride-and-groom and their closest friends celebrated a small, intimate wedding with an enchanting outdoor ceremony at a castle
Carlo Bettuolo
The bride and her father enter the ceremony, as light glowed on the bride to signify the start of her small yet beautiful wedding
David Pullum
Indoor Hotel Elopement Ceremony Photography in Black and White
Kristy May

Vail Photographers for Large or Small Weddings

Shooting an elopement or small Vail wedding event is a wedding photojournalist’s dream: a fairly open schedule with lots of breathing space for creativity – it’s just the photographer, the couple, the officiant, and perhaps a few select companions.

Colorado WPJA members are ready to document any civil ceremony, mini, city hall, or elopement wedding, even if it is a Monday-Thursday ceremony. Search for the “Can Shoot Weddings on Short Notice!” message on the listings below.

View Award-Winning Pictures from Vail Wedding Venues

WPJA Venue Images
WPJA Venue Images
WPJA Venue Images
WPJA Venue Images

5 Vail Wedding Photographers...

Wedding, engagement and elopement images by Mark Creery of Colorado

Mark Creery

Fort Collins in Colorado, US *Now booking Vail weddings.
38
1
119
3500 (USD)
Colorado wedding photography and intimate elopements by Stacy Gillespie

Stacy Gillespie

Silverthorne in Colorado, US *Now booking Vail weddings.
68
1
82
6200 (USD)
Wedding and elopement Photographer Carl Bower

Carl Bower

Denver in Colorado, US *Now booking Vail weddings.
41
2
21
4000 (USD)
Colorado Elopement and Wedding Photographer Trent Gillespie

Trent Gillespie

Silverthorne in Colorado, US *Now booking Vail weddings.
65
5
66
5200 (USD)
Colorado wedding photography and elopements by Nina Larsen Reed

Nina Larsen Reed

Boulder in Colorado, US *Now booking Vail weddings.
2
2500 (USD)

Map of Wedding Photojournalists Serving Vail Couples

Vail Wedding, Elopement and Engagement Images by WPJA Photographers

Below are some Vail wedding photography samples from the world’s best wedding photographers of the WPJA. Some of these Vail marriage pictures might be artistic portraits, details, or documentary-style images that have come from getting ready sessions, wedding ceremonies, reception venues, or Vail engagement portrait sessions with couples.

The bride and groom embraced at the snowy Donovan Pavilion in Vail, CO, lit by the photographer and symmetrically framed
The snowy Donovan Pavilion in Vail, CO, set the perfect winter backdrop for the bride and groom, with warm bokeh lights softly glowing in the foreground and background
A Vail wedding photographer captured the joyous moment of newlyweds popping champagne at the garden alter of a Community House private ceremony
In Vail, Colorado, the bride hugs her mom in the cabin where she is about to marry
A forest portrait of the couple and the trees in Vail, Colorado
Vail creative documentary wedding photography at the Vail Golf Course Reception venue showing The Catch of the bridal bouquet
A Vail, Colorado, on location couple lifestyle portrait with some rimlight above the Mountains
Vail lifestyle engagement photography of a Colorado couple running on a hill below the blue sky and white clouds
A lifestyle engagement portrait session in Vail for a Colorado couple relaxing in the Forest
A mountain Vail lifestyle couple picture session on location in Colorado with a silhouette of the lovers against a blue sky and rocks
The bride and groom share an intimate embrace captured in a wedding photo against a backdrop of red designs in Vail, Colorado
In Vail, CO, a bride and groom share a quite minute together after their ceremony

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How can couples find Vail photographers for pre-wedding engagement portraits?
A: The WPJA issues Diamond Awards for Vail wedding photographers to showcase their best engagement photography work. These awards are given to photographers who prove that they have an ability to be creative, artistic, and intuitive while working on-location with couples who are newly engaged.
Q: Can a wedding photojournalist create artistic portraits on my Vail wedding day?
A: While wedding photojournalists strive to capture candid moments on the wedding day, our photographers also are skilled artists who can compose powerful portraits. If you have a specific vision of what types of images you want from your wedding day, look at the top-ranked Vail wedding photographers who have earned Artistic Guild awards for portrait and detail images.
Q: How can couples find reviews of Vail wedding photographers?
A: We call them Client Letters. At the WPJA, we decided more than 20 years ago to avoid incorporating those third-person testimonials and endorsements that are found all too often in advertisements. Instead, we elevated our listings with the use of Client Letters, which represent the actual words and feelings of the clients who booked those Vail wedding photographers for their own wedding.
WPJA Communiqué: Featured Wedding Photography Articles
Wedding Economy: The Ups and Downs
We all know that the economy can go through some hard times, and be somewhat reminiscent of past recessions. However, as people cut back on non-essential little luxuries here and there, one constant remains: weddings. People don’t tend to just stop getting married due...Read more
Jola Mulder, of Overijssel, is a wedding photographer for
Bringing it Home: The Joys of a Backyard Wedding
Oftentimes when people are considering a venue for their weddings, they search for a location away from home, whether that be ten minutes or ten hours, all just to find what they already have: a place that holds meaning for them, that feels comfortable, or that they find...Read more
Essential Elopement Vendor - The Photographer
So your wedding is just around the corner and you’ve decided to elope , either because you want to do this on a budget , avoid a large wedding party, or simply to enjoy the day together with minimal distractions and as little stress as possible . They say 'all you...Read more

WPJA Communiqué: Viewpoints
Elopements: Traditional and Modern
The oldsters among the WPJA ranks no doubt remember when 'to elope' meant, in Merriam-Webster’s definition, “to run away secretly with the intention of getting married, usually without parental consent.” Many wedding photographers have gone on the lam with couples who did just that. However, even Merriam-Webster now acknowledges that “elope appears to have become shorthand for ‘ small destination weddings ,’ a ‘ wedding that is not financially insane ,’ or a ‘ wedding that allows us to not invite all the people we would rather not invite .’” Smaller Weddings are... Read more
What is Reportage?
On Instagram and elsewhere, one can see images labeled as #photojournalism or #reportage when they are, in fact, merely photos. I say "merely," even though photography has been my career's great passion. But it's because of that passion and my respect for the work of actual photojournalists that I am particularly bothered to see wedding photographers call their work "reportage." That word properly used actually means something important beyond just a stylistic conceit. By contrast, however, I'm the lead cheerleader for those practitioners of #weddingphotojournalism ... Read more

RAVES, REVIEWS, AND Vail WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER RECOMMENDATIONS

Black and white wedding photography of couple dancing by a Loveland, Colorado wedding photojournalist

Morgan and Jordan

Photo by Carl Bower

Thank you so much! The photos are stunning - we truly couldn't be happier!

View Photographer
Couple kissing while leaving ceremony at Villa Parker wedding by Denver wedding photojournalist.

Julia and David

Photo by Carl Bower

Thank you so much for being as fantastic on the wedding day as you have been leading up to the day…In all seriousness you just gave me all the feels. Thanks for the laughs.

View Photographer
The bride and groom alone together following their temple wedding and music hall reception party

Yasaswi and Dima

Photo by Carl Bower

We are so tremendously grateful for your coming all the way out to Pittsburgh and lending your artistic vision to the day. The pictures are stunning. You caught incredible moments. Thank you for capturing it so beautifully. We shared the photos this weekend and have heard incredibly positive feedback on the moments you captured. Thank you so much for being there to celebrate with us.

View Photographer

WPJA contest judges have been recognized by their industry peers, winning top awards as staff picture editors, staff photojournalists, and newsroom mentors while working for these and other leading publications and journalism organizations.